March 31, 2010: In the end, is Kobe a more valuable player than LeBron, or can 'The Kid' Kevin Durant outscore them both in the hearts and minds of fans when it comes to MVP balloting?

The NBA and Kia Motors America will find out. The two are extending their alliance regarding post-season awards, allowing fans for the first time the opportunity to officially assist in determining which player will be named MVP for the 2009-10 season.

From April 1-15, visitors to a microsite at NBA.com (NBA.com/KiaMVPFanVote) can cast their votes for MVP, ranking their top five choices. (Visitors who are not already members of NBA.com must first sign up on the site for free access before being able to vote.) The combined fan tally will count as one vote, with the remaining 124 votes coming from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame this past season allowed fans to cast their votes for possible Hall of Fame candidates, but the tally was for "suggestion" only and not officially used to decide the Class of 2010.

Kia Motors, the official automotive partner of the NBA, said it would unveil a TV spot this week to promote the MVP fan platform during NBA local and national game broadcasts. Activation also includes NBA team arenas and online through NBA.com, Facebook, and Twitter. Kia Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento to the charity of the player’s choice on behalf of the four 2009-10 season-end award winners as part of the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.”

Support also includes the "Kia Motors MVP Sweepstakes," offering as a grand prize a 2011 Kia Sorento CUV, which is the official vehicle of the NBA; and a trip to the 2010 NBA Finals, where the winner and a guest will watch a game with two all-time greats, Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (Full details here.)

The 2009-10 NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors will be announced following the conclusion of the 2009-10 NBA regular season. Among the players currently regarded as MVP candidates are LeBron James (who won the award last season), Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.

Kia presents a series of honors as part of its multiyear marketing partnership with the league, including the Most Improved Player, Sixth Man Award and Defensive Player of the Year.

“The NBA Most Valuable Player award presented by Kia Motors is our league’s most talked about and coveted individual accolade, and Kia Motors is providing an incredible opportunity for our fans to have a voice in determining the winner of the award for the first time,” Mark Tatum, evp-NBA Global Marketing Partnerships, said in a statement. “Kia Motors is adding to the honor of winning by continuing its effort to donate new vehicles to charity on behalf of all four 2010 NBA Performance Awards recipients and ensuring that each award will have a lasting impact in its respective community.” ﻿